Editor's Note: Tips From Security Pros

Sage advice for protecting corporate assets in a dangerous world.

By Mitch Betts

July 14, 2003 12:00 PM ET

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Computerworld - Risk is everywhere. Just stepping out your front door in the morning involves some risk. So does staying inside with the furniture.

As author Bill Bryson points out, government figures show that more than 400,000 people in the U.S. are injured by chairs, sofas and sofa beds in the course of a year. How do they do it? Mind you, we're talking about injuries that require a trip to the emergency room. That's about 10 times more than the number of people injured by skateboards, trampolines or scissors!

Of course, it's no surprise to you that risk comes in many forms. In the field of IT security, the threats include disgruntled employees, fired employees, clueless employees who succumb to social engineering, passwords left on Post-it notes, wide-open instant messaging and increasingly powerful hacker tools in the hands of teenagers.

This special report has dozens of tips to help you manage those risks. But before you implement any of them or buy another security product, do one thing: Stop to identify the three biggest security risks your company faces -- whatever would bring your company to its knees. They will vary, depending on your industry and business model. Is it theft of credit card numbers? Embezzlement? Privacy violations?

Be sure to address those high-risk areas first, before looking at more exotic problems. Take care of the basics: passwords, patches, employee training, antivirus software and access controls. If you can't keep up, consider outsourcing.

And don't stub your toe on the furniture.

Mitch Betts is Features editor at Computerworld. He can be contacted at mitch_betts@computerworld.com.

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